John Baker – KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
96.1 FM | 780 AM | Yours for Western AlaskaThu, 14 Dec 2017 00:54:36 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.1592854692018 Iditarod Registration Deadline Come and Gone; Almost 70 Mushers Will Competehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/12/04/2018-iditarod-registration-deadline-come-and-gone-almost-70-mushers-will-compete/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/12/04/2018-iditarod-registration-deadline-come-and-gone-almost-70-mushers-will-compete/#respondMon, 04 Dec 2017 18:07:13 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=32372Veteran musher John Baker of Kotzebue was the final one out of 69 people to enter into the 1,000-mile sled dog race before this morning. Dallas Seavey is still listed as withdrawn since he took himself out of the race in protest for the way the Iditarod Trail Committee handled the positive drug tests taken from his dog team earlier this year.]]>

Almost 70 mushers signed up for the 2018 Iditarod sled dog race by the registration deadline on Friday.

Veteran musher John Baker of Kotzebue was the final one out of 69 people to enter into the 1,000-mile sled dog race before this morning. Also on the list are 16 rookies, mushers representing more than four different nationalities, and the 2017 champion, Mitch Seavey.

Mitch’s son, Dallas Seavey, is still listed as withdrawn since he took himself out of the race in protest for the way the Iditarod Trail Committee handled the positive drug tests that were taken from his dog team earlier this year.

Seavey is joined by six other mushers who withdrew from the Iditarod for various reasons. On Thursday, Seavey announced that he would compete in Norway’s 745-mile (1200-km) Finnmarkslopet. That race is held around the same time as the Iditarod.

All 69 mushers signed up to compete in the 2018 Iditarod sled dog race will participate in the ceremonial start on March 3rd, with the race restart taking place the day after.

Image at top: Mitch Seavey, pulling his team past the finish line after officially checking off the Iditarod Trail. Photo: David Dodman, KNOM.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/12/04/2018-iditarod-registration-deadline-come-and-gone-almost-70-mushers-will-compete/feed/032372Nome Finishers’ Banquet Marks End of Iditarod 45http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/03/20/nome-finishers-banquet-marks-end-of-iditarod-45/
Mon, 20 Mar 2017 21:54:45 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=28490Among the special awards at the Sunday banquet were two given to Jessie Royer: the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award and the Most Inspirational Musher Award.]]>

Nome, AK — The 2017 Iditarod Sled Dog Race is over. The 45th running, rerouted from Fairbanks to Nome, came to an end Sunday night with the Finishers’ Banquet held at the Nome Rec Center.

Each musher was recognized individually starting with this year’s Red Lantern, Cindy Abbott. “Two years ago, I was still out on the trail during the banquet. This year, I came in 32 hours faster. I still get the red lantern, so now, I have a pair.”

Before all 64 mushers took to the podium to share stories from the trail and thank family and sponsors, special awards were handed out. Mitch Seavey’s lead dog, Pilot, received the City of Nome Lolly Medley Memorial Golden Harness Award, presented by Mayor Richard Beneville.

Nicolas Petit received the Nome Kennel Club Award for Fastest Time from Safety to Nome in two hours and 27 minutes. In a short speech, Petit stated “fast dogs are fun to drive.”

But after Petit’s show of sportsmanship for handing over Dallas Seavey’s dropped vet book at the finish line, it was Allen Moore that was selected by fellow mushers for the 2017 Sportsmanship Award. During his acceptance speech, he recalled the original sled dog race to Nome. “When I think about this award, I think about the diphtheria happening, so long ago. People were helping people, and, when I see someone out there in distress or trouble, I like to help them. So thank you very much.”

Other special awards handed out Sunday night include Rookie of the Year that went to Frenchman Sebastian Vergnaud, who placed 23rd, as well as most improved musher, Ryan Redington, who jumped up 22 places since his last Iditarod finish in 2009.

Jessie Royer — who finished the 1,000-mile race with all sixteen of the sled dogs she mushed from the Fairbanks starting line — took home two awards: the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award and the Most Inspirational Musher Award, chosen by fellow mushers. Michelle Phillips took the Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award, and the Golden Clipboard Award went to Manley.

Western Alaska mushers stretched across the field this year. Bethel’s Pete Kaiser placed 9th, while fiancées John Baker and Katherine Keith of Kotzebue crossed the finish line in 18th and 19th place, after attempting to cross the line at the same time – which Keith joked about Sunday night.

Richie Diehl of Aniak finished in 24th place, while Nome’s Noah Burmeister arrived under the burled arch in 29th. Melissa Stewart, originally from Nome, took 33rd behind Martin Buser. And Paul Hansen, a rookie from Kotzebue, rounded out the group of Western Alaska mushers finishing 61st.

A total of eight mushers scratched in the 2017 race.

]]>28490Iditarod’s Mid-Pack Mushers Prepare Final Pushes to Nomehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/03/13/iditarods-mid-pack-mushers-prepare-final-pushes-to-nome/
Mon, 13 Mar 2017 21:08:24 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=28390Competitive jockeying is happening up and down the Iditarod leaderboard as mushers begin to traverse the Norton Sound coast.]]>

Iditarod mushers face a grueling next few days. Not just those fighting tooth and nail at the top of the pack but, also, everyone else with competitive ambitions jockeying for spots in the top 10, 20, and 30. At this point in the race, the leader board is hardly set in stone. And as Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes reports from the Kaltag checkpoint, a lot of mid-pack mushers are getting ready to make moves.

This is the fourth Iditarod for Katherine Keith of Kotzebue, but she’s not where she wants to be.

“I had hoped for a top 15 or 20 finish, and that’s such a competitive space, so I’m not sure that that’s what we’ll be looking for, but I haven’t given up yet.”

Keith is running her best race yet, with very few mistakes. She overslept once, but just by 20 minutes. And her hands were acting up. The deep cold early along the trail revived frostbite from the Yukon Quest a few weeks ago.

“It slows me down. I have to take more time for doing things that require fine-motor skills, so, I just give myself more time. Instead of 20 minutes to bootie, I have to give myself 30. So I don’t know that I have to slow myself down, but I have to account for it. Everything’s Velcro. And Velcro’s, like, the worst thing when you have fingertips that aren’t happy.”

But even at the top of her game, Keith was just barely one of the top 20 mushers into Kaltag. And she’s down to just ten dogs heading toward the coast. At one point, her partner, John Baker, an Iditarod champion, was parked next to her, and she asked him how with such relentless competition he’d ever been able to win.

“It just boggles me. I have no idea how people accomplish it.”

Keith is hoping she’ll be able to maintain an edge once teams start hitting the coast. With its hills and rolling terrain, she thinks her team will be at an advantage over teams that are more accustomed to flat trail.

John Baker and Katherine Keith talking at the checkpoint in Kaltag. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media.

Others, like Noah Burmeister, have been saving up energy in order to let their teams speed up in the last few hundred miles of the race.

“I’ve been trying to keep ‘em slowed down and takin’ it easy. Saving some for the coast. You gotta save it for the coast. You don’t want to start pushin’ too early.”

Burmeister got 11th place last year. This time around, that’s looking like a long shot. He’s had some problems with his team and made a mistake early on sticking to his planned strategy instead of trying to push ahead of the pack to get to better trail conditions. The early cold made for sugary snow, and the trail was churned up more with each passing sled. Like a lot of competitors, Burmeister got slowed down. Now, his aim is to overtake tired teams that pushed too hard getting into the positions where they are now.

“I’d like to climb up another five or ten places. But we’ll just see what happens with the teams in front, and how hard they’re pushing and if they’re pushing too early.”

Burmeister is hardly the only one hoping a second wind will nudge him up in the leaderboard. Just a few spots away in the dog lot is Scott Smith, who finished tenth last year. His team’s been fighting a bug. But now, he thinks they’re about to hit their stride.

“I’d say we’re kinda, like, in the building-up end of things, which is good. I’ve had two or three key dogs in here start to get healthy, which is optimal for hitting the coast. I just want to put myself in a position to pick up the pieces.”

At this point, Smith doesn’t even know which position he’s in, let alone who he might feasibly overtake. But he’s planning a big push.

Not long after we talk, Katherine Keith finishes packing her sled, getting ready to go over the long portage from the Yukon River over to the Bering Sea Coast. As she does, she chats with a different former champion, Joe Runyan.

]]>2839077 Teams to Compete in 2017 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Racehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/12/02/76-teams-to-compete-in-2017-iditarod/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/12/02/76-teams-to-compete-in-2017-iditarod/#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2016 22:59:02 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=26548The countdown is on for the start of the 2017 Iditarod Sled-dog race on March 4th.]]>

Seventy-seven teams are set to compete in the 2017 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Veteran musher Noah Burmeister of Nome and Nenana was the final musher to sign-up before the deadline.

The deadline for sign-ups for this year’s Last Great Race ended Thursday night at midnight.

Nineteen rookies will compete this year, including local Nome musher Rolland Trowbridge and Paul Hansen of Kotzebue, in addition to international competitors from France, England, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Nome’s Melissa Stewart, Bethel’s Pete Kaiser, Richie Diehl of Aniak, as well as John Baker and Katherine Keith of Kotzebue will be competing again this year.

The countdown is on for the start of the 2017 Iditarod Sled-dog race in 91 days on March 4th.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/12/02/76-teams-to-compete-in-2017-iditarod/feed/1265482016 Kobuk 440, and Mushing Season, End in Petit Victoryhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/04/11/2016-kobuk-440-and-mushing-season-end-in-petit-victory/
Mon, 11 Apr 2016 19:44:32 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22452Early Sunday, Nicolas Petit won the Kobuk 440, marking the coda not only of the mid-distance sled dog race but also of the 2016 mushing season in Alaska.]]>

The first few teams crossed the finish line of the Kobuk 440 sled dog race in the early morning hours Sunday.

When Nicolas Petit crossed the finish line in first place in this year’s Kobuk 440, there were few spectators, and very little fanfare, but the Girdwood musher didn’t seem to mind. He says he definitely plans to return to the race.

“It’s really nice country and really nice people everywhere.”

Petit’s young dog team led the way for nearly the entire 440 mile route between Kotzebue and Kobuk and back. This is the last major race of the season. Petit says he’s ready for a break.

“If we did it all year around, we’d never get to miss it.”

Petit’s team got off the main trail on his way into Kotzebue.

“I don’t know if the trail markers are staying up or something. There should have been markers… don’t know which way I’m going, but over where there are permanent markers and that’s all you see. But I had to go break a trail to make it over here.”

But race officials decided his detour resulted in no major change in distance or the outcome of the race.

More than two hours later, Noah Burmeister drove his dog team across the finish line in second place, despite a turn in the weather.

ES: “Yeah, the weather took a turn, huh?” NB: “Yeah, it’s been a little blizzard and stormy and raining and everything else, but it’s been fun.” ES: “It would not be a sled dog race without it.” NB: “That’s right, and naturally, it’s going to start raining, because I sent my rain gear home when I was in Kiana.”

Blowing snow, rain, and winds didn’t keep Burmeister from making a push for the finish line. Somewhere between Noorvik and Kotzebue, he caught and passed Jason Mackey.

“I drafted him for a while and pulled a little closer to where his dogs were… balled up and I passed him.”

Minutes later, Mackey pulled into Kotzebue with a wide smile.

“My intentions were to come over here and do as well as I could, and top three is definitely satisfactory. That’s definitely my biggest, best finish in any big race, so it’s pretty special, for sure.”

Mackey says he’s determined to return to the Kobuk 440.

“It is beautiful, it is absolutely heaven.”

Two small females led his team for the whole race.

“Ancha and Siri. That’s all I have for leaders. They have not done one training run or race out of lead all year. They get hooked up in lead, come home in lead. They are the leaders.”

And they helped keep the rest of the competition at bay.

When she pulled into Kotzebue, Katherine Keith said she had been working hard to catch the frontrunners, but she was also kicking and running to stay ahead of the team behind her.

“I wasn’t sure who that was. I wasn’t sure if it was John or Sebastien, so I was really working hard, but either way, John or Sebastien, I was going to get here first.”

Keith only had a few minutes to drive her team up off the ice and into the dog yard at her house before her partner John Baker came across the line. When he arrived, he sat down on his sled, a little winded from his final run.

JB: “I tried to catch you.” KK: “I was really running away from you. See how sweaty I am? I was running up every hill.” JB: “I could see the foot tracks.” KK: “I was like, ‘he’s going to get me.’”

Without any fans or sponsors to thank at the finish line, mushers simply pulled away with their dog teams, to enjoy a well-deserved long rest and reflect on their 2016 racing season.

The small community of Ambler was buzzing all day as dog teams pulled in for a rest roughly 200 miles into the Kobuk 440. The community gave mushers a warm welcome, serving up platefuls of French toast, sheefish, and all kinds of other treats. But dog teams have roughly 240 miles of travel ahead, and it’s still anybody’s race.

As the mid-morning sun beat down over Ambler, a group of local kids helped haul drop bags and straw for Katherine Keith and Noah Burmeister.

The two mushers arrived within a half hour of each other in the tiny Northwest Arctic village. Keith told her competitor she was sure he’d eventually pull ahead of her team.

“Who’s going to win the race?”
“Your dogs.”
“You’re still in front of me.”

Both mushers set about feeding and bedding down their teams. Despite dropping a dog in Selawik, Burmeister says he’s pleased with how his team is running so far.

“I like how they’re looking. They’re cruising along real nice, so I’m just looking ahead. I’ll worry about what’s behind me if they pass me.”

Katherine Keith says she’s also pleased with her team’s performance.

“I love these guys, they’ve got great attitudes. I think that’s just so important in a race, so I love it!”

Keith and partner John Baker recently bought out a kennel run by Kelly Maixner in Big Lake, so she’s still getting to know her dogs. She arrived in Ambler in third place, but she says she’s not convinced she can hold on to that spot.

From Selawik, teams traveled more than 80 miles to Ambler. Keith says the trail was soft and punchy in places.

“But what I’m hoping is here and through Kobuk, there’s going to be such a good snowmachine (trail), that it should be nice easy traveling conditions, but I think here overland to Selawik it’s not as commonly traveled, so that’s why it was a little mushy. But, it’s good: it kind of levels out the playing field, so teams that are going to do good in this race are teams that are not just good travelers, but teams that can work a little, too.”

In front of Keith is the rough-mannered Frenchman, Sebastien Vernaud. When his team checked in at Ambler, it was clear they still had plenty of gas in the tank.

Vernaud says he didn’t run into other teams along the trail overnight, and he’s not concerned about what’s in front or who’s behind him.

“It’s not so important, the place for me. It’s building a team. They are young. Most of them are 18 months old, so it’s a good learn for them.”

The stop in Ambler was well-timed. Half the field arrived before the sun rose high, with plans to rest through most of the early afternoon. Avoiding the midday heat could help keep dogs from becoming dehydrated.

Mushers have to rest their teams for a cumulative 20 hours in checkpoints along the trail. Most had already accumulated between four and five hours by the time they reached Ambler, but Nicolas Petit arrived with only two-and-a-half hours of rest on his team.

“That’s usually kind of my plan in races, but it’s hard, because when they are full of piss and vinegar, it’s kind of hard to hold them back, but I like resting in the day and running at night, so I figured, cut it short back there a little bit, and pull in here before the sun comes out.”

Petit said he planned to take advantage of a long, daytime rest:

ES: “How long do you plan on staying here?” NP: “A good while. I plan on getting a PO Box.”

He says he might have an advantage as the “rabbit” in this year’s race.

“I mean, from the start, I got away from everybody, and that’s kind of nice, because I think all their dogs chase each other, using all their energy, and mine were just doing their own thing.”

From Ambler, teams have two relatively short runs to Shungnak and on to Kobuk, where they will turn around. Most are likely to take another long rest when they return to Ambler, before they tackle a second, long, 80-plus mile stretch to Kiana.

]]>22371After an Enthusiastic Start, Long Runs and Stiff Competition Await Teams in Kobuk 440http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/04/07/after-an-enthusiastic-start-long-runs-and-stiff-competition-await-teams-in-kobuk-440/
Fri, 08 Apr 2016 01:41:19 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22318On Thursday, it was an enthusiastic send-off for sled dog teams and mushers as they left the start line of the Kobuk 440.]]>

The 2016 Kobuk 440 sled dog race got underway early this afternoon (Thursday). A mass start sent teams speeding east from the sea ice outside of Kotzebue, toward Kobuk, where they will turn around on the out-and-back route. The field is a mix of rookies and experienced mushers, and trail and weather conditions are prime for a fiercely competitive race.

It was an enthusiastic send-off for dog teams and mushers as they left the start line of the Kobuk 440.

Among 15 mushers driving teams in this year’s race is Noah Burmeister, who posted an impressive eleventh place finish in this year’s Iditarod, after nearly a decade away from the sport. He’s no stranger to the Kobuk 440.

“I ran it in ’07, so it’s been a few years.”

Burmeister hopes for a win, but he knows there’s plenty of stiff competition with the same goal.

“Yeah, there’s some good, solid teams, but it all depends on people’s strategy. Some of them are rookies up here on this race, so we’ll just see how it goes and take it as it comes.”

Nicolas Petit also placed well in last month’s Iditarod. He’s new to the Kobuk 440, and he says it’s refreshing to be a rookie again.

“It’s cool. This is my third race this year that I’ve never been to.”

Petit’s dogs are young and inexperienced, but he says he’s still racing in the last major competitive sled dog race of the season.

“We’ll do well, but it’s really warm out, and we have to be somewhat conservative, considering that they are really young dogs and they have a lot of miles ahead of them in future years, so I don’t want to ruin them for a 400-mile race, but we should — I think we’ll be moving right along.”

After plenty of mid- and back-of-the pack finishes in this and other races in the past, Katherine Keith is also looking to up her game in this year’s Kobuk 440.

“I want a high placing team. I want to be competitive. I think we’ve got great dogs this year, and I’ve had enough races now to get some experience, so I hope we can first have a great, fun race and enjoy the communities, but I want to — I’d like to race.”

Keith could be at an advantage. She and her partner, John Baker, run a kennel that sits just along the shoreline in Kotzebue, not too far from the start line.

“It’s really fun just to get out on our own trails and to be able to not have to travel for the race. It’s something we take for granted on this one, but we appreciate it.”

According to race officials, trail conditions are excellent. This year’s route is relatively flat, there’s reportedly plenty of snow and not too much open water, despite a spring season that is quickly settling in over the region. But Keith says none of that means the next few days will be easy.

KK: “It’s a competitive and really, really hard race, because you have four or five long runs, 80 or 90 miles, and even on the Iditarod, you don’t run that distance very often, and when you’re limited to your rest in the checkpoints, you can’t really break that up that much, so that will be a challenge.”

ES: “(So it’s) half the Iditarod, less than half the days?”

KK: “Very little rest, relatively speaking, yeah. It’s great that’s what’s good about the race, it’s hard: otherwise a lot of people would come up.”

Mushers left en masse from Kotzebue under a bright, midday sun.

The weather is forecast to remain warm, with day-time temperatures in the mid to upper 30’s, and warmer, which could pose a challenge for the large, thick coated and black dogs that make up many of the teams on the trail.

]]>22318Fifteen Mushers Set to Compete in Kobuk 440 Racehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/04/07/fifteen-mushers-set-to-compete-in-kobuk-440-race/
Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:50:12 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22307Dog teams will pass through six Western Alaska villages. The winner is expected across the finish line on Saturday.]]>

The last major sled dog race of the season got underway Thursday in Kotzebue. Fifteen mushers drew bib numbers Wednesday night at the start banquet for mid-distance Kobuk 440.

Fog enveloped parts of Western Alaska most of Wednesday, which was enough to keep flights grounded and mushing fans from the Kobuk 440 start banquet, but Kotzebue’s local radio station, KOTZ, broadcasted the event live.

Kotzebue local Harriet Snyder gave the blessing before mushers and race officials dove in to platefuls of sheefish in the High School cafeteria.

Local musher Louie Nelson will marshal this year’s race.

“One thing we have to remember is, once you get into the villages, the villages are really excited to see all the mushers, so we have to act as outstanding sportsmanship and show that, and they’ll love you more,” he said.

Nelson dedicated the race to elder Clarence Jackson of Noorvik, who passed away last fall.

“Clarence has been a really good friend of mine for years, and every time I’d come to Noorvik, he was always there to welcome me into the village, and we’d have something to eat and talk about old times, and this year we’ll miss him,” he said. “But this year, the race is dedicated to Mr. Clarence Jackson.”

Fifteen mushers will start the last major competitive sled dog race of the season. Danish native Mille Porsild is one of only three women who will compete this weekend. She doesn’t race often, but she told a small crowd she was delighted to have an opportunity this year.

“It’s really, really special to be out here in Kotzebue,” she said. “I’ve looked so much forward to coming to do this race, and I can’t thank the race organization enough and everyone in Kotzebue for the wonderful hospitality and wonderful food and really looking forward to going up the trail and meeting all these beautiful communities.”

Three mushers who finished in the Iditarod’s top ten plan to drive teams in the Kobuk 440, including Nicolas Petit.

“It’s really nice to come to little races like this — or big races, actually, where you feel so welcome,” he said. “I’ve been to races where we feel like criminals, so it’s really nice and welcome, and so, thank you.”

Petit will be the last musher to leave the start chute. Kotzebue’s own John Baker will also leave near the back of the pack after pulling bib number 14. But with a considerable amount of enthusiasm, he told the crowd he had no plans to remain at the back for long.

“I don’t know what number I am, but I’ll go sometime … but I’m going to come back quick!” he said.

Dog teams leave the start line on the sea ice midday Thursday. They’ll pass through six Western Alaskan villages. The first team is expected across the finish line sometime Saturday. Whoever it is will claim a large portion of a purse estimated at $50,000 this year.

]]>22307At Iditarod Banquet, Zirkle and King Thank Nulato Community after Snowmachine Incidenthttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/03/21/at-iditarod-banquet-zirkle-and-king-thank-nulato-community-after-snowmachine-incident/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/03/21/at-iditarod-banquet-zirkle-and-king-thank-nulato-community-after-snowmachine-incident/#commentsMon, 21 Mar 2016 18:05:20 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22008Champion Dallas Seavey also earned top honors, taking home $75,000 and a new truck for his first-place finish.]]>

NOME, ALASKA — At the Iditarod Banquet in Nome Sunday night, mushers, fans, and race officials celebrated the 44th running of the Last Great Race. Before they announced awards, though, organizers presented Aliy Zirkle and Jeff King with a special donation from the community of Nulato.

A snowmachiner from the checkpoint village ran into both mushers on the trail, killing one of King’s dogs and injuring several others. Race officials said Nulato held a craft sale after the incident to raise money for the mushers and help them heal.

“Thank you, Nulato,” said Zirkle. “You’re one of the most special villages on the trail.”

King also thanked the community, which won the Golden Clipboard Award as the most outstanding checkpoint.

“I’ve got a hunch that Aliy and I will come up with a good place to share the money that Nulato raised,” said King. “If anything comes from our very scary and tragic accident, I hope it’s a continued and undying focus on the risks associated with driving motor vehicles while intoxicated.”

As awards got underway, Champion Dallas Seavey earned top honors, taking home $75,000 and a new truck for his first-place finish. Seavey’s dog Reef also received his second Golden Harness Award as the race’s most outstanding lead dog.

Kotzebue’s John Baker won the sportsmanship award. His fellow mushers selected him for stopping when a competitor called for help on the trail.

“He’s saying ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’ Heck, the only reason I stopped was because he was blocking the trail. Otherwise, I’d have kept going,” Baker said, laughing with the audience.

Meanwhile, Nome’s Noah Burmeister was named the most improved musher. Finishing 11th this year, he jumped 44 spots since his last race a decade ago. Race veterinarians voted Aliy Zirkle as the musher with the most outstanding dog care, and Geir Idar Hjelvik earned the Rookie of the Year Award. The Norwegian musher finished 26th overall.

In Takotna, Katherine Keith was taking her 24 hour layover, a welcome respite both for her dog team and, especially, for herself.

In her interview with KNOM’s Emily Schwing (above), Keith described how the warmer-than-usual temperatures, mid-way through the Iditarod trail, made for “excruciating(ly) hot” conditions for her dogs, who are accustomed to the (much colder) Arctic climate of Kotzebue, where they’re trained. She’s been running two dogs, Swift and Joy, in lead position as they make their way down the Iditarod trail.

Keith, who’s engaged to — and trains with — musher John Baker, made light of their dual status as Iditarod competitors and romantic partners. If Keith wins Iditarod 2016 first, she confirmed, she gets to pick the date of their wedding; if Baker wins, he picks.

At least for now, Baker’s in a stronger position to prevail, both in the Iditarod and on their nuptial calendar. But, as Keith also reflected, there are still two-thirds of the race yet to go.